"Jiaojiao, come change your clothes," Sheng Xia called from the doorway to her daughter, who was playing with Lego.
Hearing her mother's voice, Jiaojiao put down her toys and pattered over to Sheng Xia.
"Mommy, I'm here!"
The heating had already come on in the house, making the room quite warm. Sheng Xia removed her daughter's house clothes and dressed her for going out - first thermal underwear, then a sweater, topped with a fluffy teddy bear coat.
"Mommy, where are we going?" Jiaojiao asked, standing still obediently as Sheng Xia did her hair.
Sheng Xia answered her daughter's question while her hands worked, tying Jiaojiao's soft, fine hair into two little pigtails. "We're going to have dinner with Uncle Chicken Wings."
Jiaojiao's face lit up at the mention of Uncle Chicken Wings.
"You like Uncle Chicken Wings that much?" Sheng Xia felt a twinge of jealousy. They'd only met him once, and that Mr. Chen had maintained such a serious expression the whole time. She couldn't understand why her daughter was so fond of him, mentioning him repeatedly since they got home.
"Chicken wings, yummy," Jiaojiao replied.
Sheng Xia laughed at this. "So Jiaojiao is a little glutton after all..."
"Jiaojiao is not a glutton!" the girl protested.
After getting Jiaojiao ready, Sheng Xia quickly changed her own clothes. She put a little bear-eared hat on her daughter, bundling her up until she looked adorably plump.
"Mwah! My baby is so cute," Sheng Xia couldn't resist giving her daughter a kiss.
"Mommy is beautiful!" Jiaojiao giggled, mimicking her mother and giving her a kiss back.
Once they were both ready, Sheng Xia picked up the gift she and Jiaojiao had bought for Chen Shu yesterday.
Chen Shu had helped Jiaojiao, and Sheng Xia felt no gift could be too extravagant to show her gratitude. However, from their brief encounter on Friday, it was clear he was quite well-off. After much deliberation, she decided to let Jiaojiao choose the gift. The value didn't matter as much as the sentiment behind it.
...
"Uncle Chicken Wings!"
They had arranged to meet near Sheng Xia's workplace this time, close to where Chen Shu had first encountered Jiaojiao.
Chen Shu arrived a bit earlier and was waiting at the restaurant entrance for the mother and daughter.
Sheng Xia spotted Chen Shu from afar and felt nervous again. As she was pondering what to say when they met, Jiaojiao had already seen Chen Shu and excitedly called out to him.
As they approached, the two adults merely nodded at each other, at a loss for words.
Jiaojiao, however, was overjoyed and bounced over to take Chen Shu's hand.
Sheng Xia was startled, unable to stop her daughter in time.
They now found themselves in the awkward position of each holding one of Jiaojiao's hands. Sheng Xia felt strange about it, but letting go also seemed inappropriate. She was momentarily at a loss.
"Let's go in," Chen Shu said to Sheng Xia.
Sheng Xia nodded and, after a moment's hesitation, released her daughter's hand, allowing Chen Shu to lead Jiaojiao inside while she followed behind.
Confused by her mother letting go, Jiaojiao looked up uncertainly, but seeing her mother still there, she relaxed and let Chen Shu guide her into the restaurant.
Once seated, they both scanned the QR codes to order, avoiding the need for conversation.
Chen Shu hadn't come for the meal - he certainly didn't need the food. After casually ordering two dishes, he put down his phone and noticed Jiaojiao staring at him with her big eyes. His heart melted, and his expression softened.
Silence...
During the wait for their food, Sheng Xia spoke first: "Mr. Chen, thank you again for what happened that day. If you hadn't found her, who knows what might have happened."
Sheng Xia expressed her gratitude to Chen Shu once more, then handed him the gift Jiaojiao had chosen.
Before Chen Shu could respond, Sheng Xia added, "Jiaojiao picked this herself."
Hearing this, Chen Shu swallowed his refusal and accepted the gift.
"What did Jiaojiao buy for uncle?" Chen Shu asked with a smile.
"Chicken! Cluck cluck cluck!" Jiaojiao answered without hesitation, then burst into giggles.
?
Hearing this response, even Chen Shu couldn't hide his bewilderment.
Sheng Xia embarrassedly explained for her daughter: "Actually, it's a parrot-shaped ceramic ornament. Jiaojiao mistook it for a chicken." When Jiaojiao had wanted to buy it, Sheng Xia didn't know why, but the ornament was indeed exquisite and suitable as a gift. Sheng Xia had been impressed by her daughter's taste, choosing such a beautiful item, and hadn't thought much more about it before buying it.
It was only after leaving the store that she asked and learned the reason - Jiaojiao had mistaken the parrot for a chicken.
As for why she wanted to buy a chicken... Sheng Xia understood without needing to ask.
Chen Shu understood as well. As soon as Jiaojiao mentioned "chicken," he knew why she had chosen this gift for him.
Chen Shu opened the box in front of Jiaojiao, revealing the parrot ceramic ornament inside.
"Thank you, Jiaojiao. Uncle likes it very much."
"It has chicken wings!" Jiaojiao exclaimed.
Jiaojiao was still young, with a simple way of expressing herself, but both adults understood her meaning - she was pointing out that the parrot on the ornament also had "chicken wings."
Throughout the meal, Chen Shu and Sheng Xia barely exchanged words. Chen Shu had never been talkative, and neither was Sheng Xia. Moreover, she felt nervous around Chen Shu, making it even harder to speak up.
So at the dinner table, only Jiaojiao occasionally piped up with childish remarks, which the two adults would respond to.
After the meal, Sheng Xia went to pay, but before she could bring up the payment code, Chen Shu reached over and paid with his phone.
He then took Jiaojiao's hand and headed for the exit.
Sheng Xia hurriedly spoke up: "Mr. Chen, I was supposed to treat you to this meal."
Chen Shu held up the gift bag: "I've already received your thank-you gift. There's no need to treat me to dinner as well."
Her husband had passed away, leaving her to raise a child alone. To support her daughter, she had to work late into the night, and had even accidentally lost her child. Life must be very difficult for her.
The gift had already been bought, chosen by Jiaojiao herself, so Chen Shu didn't refuse it. But he could at least spare her the expense of the meal.
"Consider it my treat for Jiaojiao," he said.
Hearing this, Sheng Xia was at a loss for words.
This Mr. Chen seemed to be very fond of Jiaojiao, though she couldn't understand why.
Chen Shu noticed Sheng Xia's expression and smiled. "Jiaojiao reminds me a lot of my sister when she was little."
Of course, he didn't mean in appearance, but rather a certain feeling that Chen Shu himself couldn't quite explain.
"Your sister?" Sheng Xia had initially wanted to ask how old his sister was, but seeing the nostalgic look in Chen Shu's eyes and hearing his tone when mentioning his sister, she reconsidered.
So she held back her question, not wanting to stir up potentially painful memories.
"Let me drive you home," Chen Shu offered.
Chen Shu brought the car around, and Sheng Xia sat in the back with Jiaojiao. They didn't live far from the restaurant.
"Uncle Chicken Wings! Will you come play with Jiaojiao again?"
During dinner, Sheng Xia had tried to teach her daughter to call him Uncle Chen, but although Jiaojiao had agreed at the time, she immediately reverted to her old way of addressing him.
Chen Shu was driving, so he didn't turn around, but his voice was gentle as he replied, "Of course. Next time Jiaojiao misses uncle, you can give uncle a call."